BMW finally revealed the new i3 and the electric sedan has some of the most impressive EV specs on the market underneath it
Published on Mar 20, 2026 at 8:50 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Mar 20, 2026 at 8:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The new electric BMW i3 is here, and it certainly looks promising.
It’s built on the same platform as the iX3, which is already a best seller, and the specs are great.
At least on paper.
But there’s an element that will probably dictate whether this car does well or not.
How the i3 compares to other equivalent EVs
For the BMW i3, competition will mostly come from the Model 3 Performance, and also probably internally, from the i4 M60 and the M340i, which is not electric.
Let’s start with this one.
BMW salespeople will no doubt try to persuade would-be buyers who were considering the M340i to buy the i3 instead.
The M340i uses a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, and it produces 386hp, whereas the i3 has 463hp.
Then there’s the i4, which is more powerful – 594hp versus 463hp – but the range is worse – 267 miles versus 440 miles.
Also, the retail price will make a difference.
The i4 M60 starts at $72,000. We don’t know what the i3 will cost, but it’ll probably be a little cheaper.
This brings us to the key issue the German automaker will have with the Model 3 Performance, which is more powerful – 510hp – and cheaper at around $56,000.
The German manufacturer is unlikely to price the i3 at less than $60,000, but never say never.
This is the second Neue Klasse BMW, and the first one is doing great
This is the second electric car built on the Neue Klasse platform, which is potentially good news because the first one did well.
Unveiled in September at the IAA Mobility Show, the BMW iX3 EV has hit the ground running.
It’s sold out just about everywhere, including Europe.
At the risk of repeating ourselves, pricing it right will be crucial.
In Europe and the US, its main competitor remains Tesla, which has an edge on the price. That means BMW is unlikely to match Tesla’s price because it’ll try to market itself as more ‘premium’ than a Model 3.
In China, the situation is a bit more complicated because Chinese buyers are very quickly swapping their European or Japanese EVs for domestic ones.
Time will tell.
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After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
